No amount of Chinese propaganda can
ever hide the reality of the tick and the cow China and Zimbabwe relationship.
"The China-Africa relationship
is deeply rooted in our common quest for liberation, justice and independence.
We have never attached any political conditions for assistance to Africa. This
is our basic principle," said Guo Shaochun, China’s ambassador to Zimbabwe.
"We, as the Chinese Embassy,
highly-appreciate the cordial relations and co-operation that exist between
China and Zimbabwe. This relationship dates back to the days of the liberation
struggle when China fully supported the national independence of Zimbabwe.
Since then, we have come a long way."
There is no denying that China played
a pivotal role in the supply of arms and the military training of freedom
fighters during Zimbabwe’s fight for independence. There is no such thing as a
free lunch, certainly not from the Chinese because ever since Zimbabwe attained
her independence in 1980, the country has repaid the debt for the military
assistance a thousand fold!
Only the politically naïve would
still take this so call Chinese principle to “never attach any political
conditions for assistance to Africa.” Yes, the Chinese have never criticized
any African government for economic mismanagement or corruption much less for
rigging elections and human rights violations. The most obvious reason China
has not done so is that the country is guilty of the same crimes and violations
itself!
China wants to give the impression
that it has bankrolled Zimbabwe’s criminal waste of Zimbabwe’s human and
material resources. It never did any such thing! China stopped giving Zimbabwe
financial aid and assistance as soon as it was clear Harare was a bad debtor
that did not repay its debt, just as the IMF, WB and other western financial
institutions had done. Whilst the West made a big song and dance about freezing
Zimbabwe out, China did not make any farce.
Any financial assistance China gave
to Zimbabwe or any other African country it was China that gained most from the
arrangement. There is no denying that China’s economic boom was at Africa’s
expense.
"Over the past 70 years, China
has grown into the second largest economy in the world, contributing over 30%
annually to the global economic growth. China is not growing alone as it is
fostering good relations and co-operation with African countries under the
Forum on China-Africa Co-operation and the Belt and Road Initiative for the
mutual benefit of China and African countries, including Zimbabwe," said ambassador
Guo Shaochun.
“740 million people having been lifted
out of poverty in China.”
And how many Zimbabweans have been
dragged into poverty as a result of four decades of the corrupt, incompetent
and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule. Of all the outside nations, China has certainly
played the greatest role in helping Zanu PF remain in power for all these
years!
“We have never attached any political
conditions for assistance to Africa!” Yeah right! How many “mega deals” did
China signed with Emmerson Mnangagwa just before Zimbabwe’s last year elections?
Deals that have since evaporated like morning mist. Zanu PF blatantly rigged
the elections and there is no doubt that China had a hand in all this. China
was rewarded soon after the elections, the Chinese company was back in Marange
and Chiadzwa to continue where it left off after it was booted out by Robert
Mugabe.
The Chinese helped Zimbabwe end the white
colonial rule by the British but only to gain new colonial masters in the form
of the Chinese or be it the Chinese rule through local black puppets!
“China has had the bitter experience
of having its economy controlled by foreign powers and being subjected to
unjust treatment, exploitation and oppression,” ambassador Guo Shaochun.
And now China is using that bitter
experience to control African countries like Zimbabwe’s economy for its own
benefit whilst it armed and bankrolled surrogate local thugs to ruthlessly
silence all local dissent.
China’s economic boom is great for
China but bad news for us! China’s political arrogance has soared to new heights
fuelled by the country’s growing economic influence. There is no doubt that
China will not want to lose its influence in a resource rich country like
Zimbabwe and will therefore back the surrogate Zanu PF dictatorship to hilt.
In fighting for democratic reforms
and free, fair and credible elections, Zimbabweans are not just fighting
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies but the Chinese giant backing the regime. It
is not a fair fight and hence the reason we must fight smart.
We must make sure
all the democratic reforms are implemented to ensure the elections are free,
fair and credible, for example; and stop the folly of participating in flawed
and illegal elections which the Chinese and Israeli experts help Zanu PF rig the elections.
7 comments:
You are right, why would China ever demand that it surrogate dictators in Africa should hold free, fair and credible elections, up hold the rule of law or even respect the right to life when the same Chinese leaders do hold free, fair and credible elections, etc. in their own country?
Indeed, nothing pleases the Chinese more than to see a country like Zimbabwe fall out with the West over such things as human rights violations. The fall out will place the country firmly in China’s sphere of influence to deal with as it jolly well please.
When Mugabe fell out with the West in the late 1990s he announced his “Look East” policy. The Chinese known he had nowhere else to go and they exploited Zimbabwe like never before! Like China has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in other African countries where China knew those country could easily turn to the West if they ever suspected China was short-changing them. China has not so generous in Zimbabwe.
If there was to be a though audit of China’s economic activities it will not be surprising that for every dollar China has ever spend on Zimbabwe the country has been paid back 100-fold if not more!
I totally agree that the one nation fighting tooth and nail for no regime change in Zimbabwe is China. The Chinese do not give a damn that Zimbabwe has gone to the dogs, they do not care that millions of Zimbabweans now live in abject poverty and that many are dying unnecessarily all because of the decades of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF misrule. Still, they would spare no expense to make sure Zanu PF remains in power!
Mugabe called the Chinese “all weather friend”, it is ironic that the Chinese had a hand in the dictator’s down fall and now there are reports the Chinese want Mnangagwa out! Zimbabwe would be better off without a friend like China and now that the tick has securely attached itself taking it off will be hard and painful!
Fuel prices have gone down!
Why do I have the feeling this is just a gimmick!
Zanu PF Secretary for Administration, Obert Mpofu has called on Zimbabweans- including opposition members – to join the “anti-sanctions” scheduled for next Thursday.
“We want to make it a national event."
Zanu PF was told "Hold free, fair and credible elections and we will lift the sanctions!" Zanu PF went to blatantly rig the elections. ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll, 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote, etc. The sanctions will stay!
Zanu PF is calling for demos to protest the sanctions but when people tried to protest against another rigged elections the regime used brute force to silence all dissent.
Zanu PF rigged last year's elections, the regime has no mandate to govern and it must step down to allow the nation to implement the reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. The pressure for Zanu PF to step down should have been considerable was it not for the MDC and the rest of the country's opposition who gave these flawed elections some credibility by participating in the elections.
Still the worsening economic meltdown will force Zanu PF to step down. The economic situation is unsustainable the danger of the country sliding into social unrest and worse is real and imminent!
Nigeria’s foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama has described as sickening and depressing news of the continued burning and looting of Nigerian shops and premises in South Africa.
He said the action by the mindless criminals which was happening under the watch of an ineffective police which was failing to protect foreign nationals would see his government take definitive measures.
An eye for an eye will make the world blind!
What we are witnessing here is just another example of African leaders failing to address issues concerning their people, this is failed leadership!
“It is a great shame that country's corrupt and incompetent opposition participated in the flawed and illegal elections knowing fully well that Zanu PF was rigging the elections and, worse still, that by participating they would give the flawed process some credibility!”
You hit the nail on the head right there! As much as the international community roundly condemned Zimbabwe’s sham elections they had to listen to what Zimbabweans themselves were saying. And Zimbabwe’s whole opposition camp voted with their feet to approve the sham elections.
Nelson Chamisa even mocked his predecessor, Morgan Tsvangirai, for being robbed with his eyes open in agreeing to participate in the 2013 elections without something as basic as a verified voters’ roll. He went on to do exact that himself. Chamisa was not robbed, he was bought; that is a totally different kettle of fish.
MDC knows that Zanu PF is illegitimate and what Chamisa and company are doing is trying to pressure Mnangagwa to bribe them with gravy-train seats in return for MDC’s public endorsement of the sham elections as free, fair and credible. Of course, MDC are corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs!
What makes Zimbabwe’s case even more tragic is that the civic society, even those posturing as human rights defenders, have cheered and applauded these opposition sell-outs.
CIZC have taken a year to come to the conclusion that last year’s elections were a sham. It will be asking too much of the organisation to ask MDC why the party participated in sham elections. The question is obvious to some but a complete mystery to the likes of CIZC!
CIZC want Zanu PF to be involved in these national dialogues even if the party is clearly guilty of denying Zimbabweans a meaningful say in the governance of the country and landing the nation into this mess. CIZC admit Zanu PF is illegitimate but their “primeval urge to appease Zanu PF”, as you rightly put is irresistible!
@ Edgar Gweshe
“While I respect freedom of expression, it is clear that the writer has not been following CIZC's statements since the military coup and the sham polls. I am tempted to think the writer bumped into this current one and made no effort to research on previous statements of the coalition,” you said.
Gweshe, I am sure the writer would not mind being corrected, and the reader being educated, on what exactly CIZC has been saying “since the military coup and the sham polls”. It is very disappointing that you chose to say nothing here!
On the substantive issue of the national dialogue, are you denying that CIZC is calling for dialogue in which both Zanu PF and MDC play a part? Zanu PF is illegitimate and the only reason why you would still want them involved in mapping the way forward is that you lack the guts and political vision to admit the regime is the elephant in the room.
The policy of appeasing Zanu PF has not worked and it is insane to keep trying it after 39 years and with the nation’s survival on the line. Some one had to tell CIZC that their policy of appeasement is downright stupid because it is downright stupid!
Doctors at public hospitals have turned down a 60% salary rise offered by government and vowed to go ahead with their planned industrial action starting today to press for a better offer and an improvement in their conditions of service.
The latest strike, which is likely to trigger bloodbath in the country's already strained public health system.
The doctors had given an ultimatum to the government demanding to be paid in United States dollars, among other conditions.
At the heart of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis is the political paralysis. Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs. The country’s economy has been in free fall for the last 20 years, at least, because it has been near impossible to do business with these thugs.
The economic activities have all but ground to a halt, unemployment has soared to 90%, inflation is soaring back to the 2008 levels when it peaked at 500 billion per cent, etc. The economic situation is socially, politically and morally unsustainable. Fix the economy or the country will slide into social unrest or worse!
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state the economic meltdown will only get worse.
The only sure way sponge out the pariah state is for the illegitimate Zanu PF regime to step down to allow for the appointment of an interim administration committed to implementing the reforms and end the curse of rigged elections.
The proposal to dilute the Zanu PF regime with the addition of a few MDC members will not change the basic reality that the regime is illegitimate. The argument Nelson Chamisa has the “key to legitimacy” is just nonsense. Only the people of Zimbabwe in a free, fair and credible election have the power to grant legitimacy.
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